Direct steaming system for locomotives



July 13 1926. 1,592,618

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DIRECT STEAMING SYSTEM FOR LQCOMOTIVES Filed May 22. l/922 2 Shoots-Sheet 2 Patented July 13, 1926.

PATENT OFFICE.

SPENCER OTIS, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DIRECT STEAMING SYSTEM FOR LOCOMOTIVES.

k.lipplication led May 22, 1922. Serial No. 562,623.

This invention relates to a system for developing rapidly in locomotives, and from an extraneous source, steam under pressure that will enable the locomotive to proceed under its own power from the terminal.

Prior to the present' invention, the practice in restoring locomotives to service after the boiler has been Washed out and refilled, has been to build the fire in the locomotive, supply steam from an extraneous source to the normal blowing connections of the engine, and permit the locomotive to stand until its own fire has developed and generated enough pressure to enable the locomotive to proceed 'from the roundhouse to its assigned track. But this method has proven expensive in time consumed and in the steam expended in blowing the fire.'

T t has heretofore been proposed to avoid this loss of time by charging into a locomotive boiler, after the washout, both water and steam, troni a single extraneous source, namely another boiler kept at a temperature which generates a substantial expelling pressure; but such proposals would prove impracticable in use for the reasons, among others, tirst, that the rapid rise, within 'the boiler, of water at or above steaming tem perriture,`would be destructive of the joints between the boiler members, and secondly, maintenance oit extraneousv boiler capacity equivalent in water volume to the aggregate capacity of locomotives to be filled, and at a temperature that would insure expelling pressure, would involve too great anefrpense ,tor boilers, furnaces and collateral equipment.

The present invention provides a method of recharging washed out boilers andbringing them to steai'ning pressur-e in a minimum ot time consistent with boiler safety, without vprohibitive expense for stationary boiler capacity, but with the use of existing filling-water storage-'tanks o t standard construction, and withal, by a procedure which is highly eli'icient both as to time and fuel consumption. b

Accordingly, the invention consists in talring filling water from a nonsteam-generating extraneous source (the ordinary filling tank) in which the water is inept at temperature which can be economically maintained with present standard equipment, for instance by the use of heat unitssalvaged from products blown oil from the locomotives, and bringing such water to the locomotive, at a temperature well within that at which the water can safely be introduced into an empty boiler, say at about 180O F., and there caus-A ing the Water to meet a body of steam from an extraneous steam-generating source under conditions which cause the steam and water to mingle, the water to be given an impetus that .materially cuts down the time of filling and causes the temperature of the water to be further increased but still within the satety degree; the steam supplied being preferably superheated; and the introduction ot steam being continued after the water level is reached, and until steaming pressure is attained, the steam beingintroduced preterably in such proportion to the water, having regard for the temperature ot' the steam,

that by the time the water level is reached steam pressure will have begun to accumulate. ln practicing the present method the water delivered to the boiler, under the iinpelling action of the steam, is directed in a manner to set up active internal circulation, which equalizes boiler temperature and turther insures against injurydue to unequal heating; and this circulation and equalization applies likewise to the introduction of steam at'ter the water level has been reached. llt desired, a preliminary portion of the ill` ing water may be introduced at the temperature ot the filling tank, say 1807 F., and independently of the steam. ln such case the introduction et steam and water will occur during the latter portion of the lilling operation to be followed by steam alone at the end.

ein important condition of the present invention is that by the time the filling water has reached the ndesired level in the boiler,

steaming temperature will also have been attained, so that continued supply of steam thereafter will not involve waste of time or 1 heat that would be incurred in condensing injected steam to raise the boiler temperature, and will not involve the objection ot developing excessive water level by such steam condensation and cutting down working steam space in the boiler. lV'nen steam is used in sufficient proportion to raise the temperature of the incoming water to the steaming point, at the beginning of water injection, or for a large part of the water injecting period, the intended steam space of the boiler is substantially Filled with steam by the time the water level is reached; the steam, by rising from the surface of the accumulating water during water injection, heats those portions of the boiler which are above the water surface, and avoids injurious boiler strains; the time required for bringing accumulated steam to working pressure after attainment of Water level is greatly reduced; and instead of raising the temperature of the boiler from that of ordinary filling water to the steaming point and accumulating working pressure over the boiler, with the expense for fuel and vitiating roundhouse atmosphere incident thereto, the locomotive, within a time little greater than that required for gettinor the water into the boiler, is ready to surrender its stall and move out under its own power to a place where the fire can be Started Without disagreeable effects.

In order that the invention may be fully understood, one embodiment thereof is shown by Way of illustration in the accompanying drawings.

In said drawings- Figure 1 is a schematic View of a portion of a locomotive roundhouse with a steam.

power plant and hot Water supply located adjacent thereto, and equipped for distributA ing hot water and steam through drops in the various stalls of the house;

Figure 2 is a radial section through one of tlie'stalls of the roundhouse and the steam generating plant associated therewith, the

rawing being on an enlarged scale;

Figure 3 is a detail View of one form of steam injector that may be employed for mixing and charging water and steam together, or charging steam alone, in practicing the invention;

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4"--4x of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a section on the line 5"-5x of Figure 3.

1 represents a section of a locomotive house which may be in the form of a roundhouse or in any other desirable form, and 2 represents stalls, any one of which is adapted to be occupied by a locomotive requiring to be supplied with water and steam to enable it-to proceed from the house. 3, 3, represent drops adjacent the stalls for delivering steam from a steam line 4 to locomotives occupying the stalls, as, for instance, by connecting a drop 3 with a blowoii:` cock 5, through the medium of a suitable flexible connector 6. Blowoif cock 5 will preferably be introduded into the front Water leg 7 of the boiler, and will preferably have a construction which adapts it to deliver Steam in a direction to induce circulation within the boiler; for instance it may have in addition to its bore 5a lateral discharge ports 5b presented in the particular direction in which it is desired to .induce flow in the water of the boiler. It may be desirable to have the ports 5b presented downwardly under some circumstances, or they may be presented upwardly.

The steam line 4 will Abe supplied through a pipe 8 from the header 9 of a superheater l0 contained in a boiler, such as 11, which may be of any suitable construction, so long as it is adapted to supply an ample quantity of high pressure superheated steam. Boiler 11 will preferably have its furnace 12 controlled automatically in the supply of fuel and other combustion controlling elements, and this furnace control will in turn be subjected to the load or consumption on thev steam line 4, as, for instance, by providing an electric motor 13 which operates the stoker of the furnace, 'and having this motor under control of a steam flow meter 14 electrically connected therewith through circuit 15,'and which is in turn related through the usual connection 16 with the steam supply pipe 8. By this arrangement, whenever there is a demand on the line 4 for steam, the furnace will be speeded up proportionately to compensate for steam consumption, and in this way the system will be renderedv automatic in caring for as many locomotives as the capacity of the house may admit. Conversely, as the requirement for steam on the line 4 drops, the steam flow meter 14 acting through the associated elements described, will check the furnace operation.

In addition to the steam line 4, the system will preferabl 'embody a hot water line 1T leading from ot water tank 18 by Way of the force pump 19 to the filling Water drops 20 in a manner well known in the operation of refilling boilers; the' drops being connected with blowoif cock 5 through the medium of a hose, such as 6.

In operation, and preferably in the particular manner described below, the boiler, after having been Washed out and while it is. still hot, will be recharged with hot water at. as high a temperature as can be obtained with thc equipment available, and steam will be injected into the water for the necessary' time to bring the temperature of the water up toand above boiling and the pressure of the steam over the Water in the boiler to a degree which will enable the locomotive to proceed under its own power. The fire will be kindled in the meantime and will be developed as rapidl as possible toward a condition which ena les it to assume the control over the steam pressure, and the loco` motive may proceed either immediately or after such lapse of time as may be necessary, to its assigned track.

It is found in practice that the filling and steaming of boilers by the method herein described is most economically practiced by charging water and steam together through the greater portion of the filling operation. For this. purpose a mixing box 21 is provided in detachable relation to the blowoif cock 5; and this mixin box has a steam inlet 22 deliverinfr axial y thereinto, and a Water inlet 23 dehvering tangentially thereinto. Byattaching hose, such as 6, to the inlets 22 and 23 and to the steam and lWater drops 3 and 20, and appropriately controlling the valves of such drops, a mixture of steam and Water, or Water alone, or steam alone, can be charged into the boiler at will; or the mixture alone may be charged through the mixing box and the box removed, and the respective'drops 3 and 20 connected directlyT With the blowoff cock When it is desired to' charge these elements separately into the boiler.

As an illustrative procedure, hot water,

lsay at 140 F., maybe chargedfrom a drop 20' through cock 5 into the boiler until a water level above the cock is attained, then the mixing box 21 is attached, the drops 3 and 20 connected, respectively, with inlets 22 and 23, and steam and Water together flow into the boiler (the temperature rising to as high as 205 F. in fifteen minutes) until water shows in the first gauge; then the mix in box Will be removed and steam alone Wi l be charged until the boiler temperature rises to a degree corresponding to the desired pressure.

The simultaneous charging of steam and water serves the dual purpose of increasing the temperature of the entering Water and reducing, by injection, the time required to lill and circulating the inflowing Water throughout the boiler and equalizmg temperature therein.

I claim:

1. The method of reiilling empty locomotive boilers and developing steam pressure therein, which consists in taking heated water from a non-steam-generating source at a temperature materiell below'boiling, taking a body of steam filom a steam generating source and releasing it into impelling and heating relation 'to such Water, discharging the resultant stream of Water into the boiler until a desired level is attained, and then continuing the introduction of the steam without the water, until a Working pressure is developed in the boiler 2. The method of refilling empty locomotive boilers and developing steam pressure therein,- which consists in taking from an extraneous water source, Water that is hot but at a temperature materially below boiling, takin a body of steam from a separate source and releasing it into im elling and heating relation to such Water, ischarging the resultant stream of Water into the boiler until a desired level is attained, the proportion of `steam and Water introduced being such that the temperature of the Water in the boiler is not lower than 212 F. and then continuing the introduction of the steam without the Water, until a Working pressure is developed in the boiler.

8. The method of refilling empty locomotive boilers and developing steam pressure therein, which consists in takin from an extraneous Water source, Water t at is hot but at a temperature materially below .boiling, taking a body of steam from a separate source and releasing it into impelling and heating relation to such water, discharging the resultant stream of water into the boiler until a desired level is attained, the proportion of steam to Water being regulated to insure a steaming temperature Within the boiler by the time the Water level is reached, and then continuing the introduction o the steam Withoutrthe Water, until a Working pressure is developed in the boiler.

Il. The method of refilling empty locomotive boilers and developing steam pressure therein, which consists in taking Water from a non-steam-generating Water source, and introducing it into the boiler, then While continuing the supply of Water, taking a body of steam from a separate source and releasing it into mixing and heating relation to such Water, until a desired Water level is attained, the components of Water and steam bein o such temperatures and so proportione that the contents of the boiler will have atained a steaming temperature on or before reaching said level and then continuing the introduction oi the 'steam ,Without the Water, until a Working Y pressure is developed in 'the boiler.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 16th day 30@ of May, 1922.

SPENCER OTIS.

Sil 

